Lack of Backup
by Wenwalke
Summary: Danny goes into a dangerous situation without backup and things go horribly wrong.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: **So the break I was taking is now over, thanks to TheDogo being such an enabler. She has me hooked on writing again, so I hope you all enjoy my latest story. It's complete, so I'll post regularly. As usual a big thanks to rewob17 for the beta.

**Lack of Backup**

**Summary: **Danny goes into a dangerous situation without backup and things go horribly wrong.

**Disclaimer:** I don't own anything related to Hawaii Five-0 except my stories. No infringement intended, and no money earned.

**Chapter One**

It was breaking his heart. The thought of not being able to see his precious daughter for four weeks was almost more than Danny could bear.

The Hawaiian Airlines plane taxied away from the gate, and as Danny watched, memories of his final conversation with Grace came floating back to him.

_"__We can Skype every day, Danno."_

_"__Not the same, Monkey." _

_"__It's only for four weeks, and I really want to see Charlie, and Mum."_

_"__I know, but I'm going to miss you, so much."_

_"__Uncle Steve promised to take care of you for me, if you'll let him. Those are his words, not mine."_

_"__Thanks for that. It's just what I need, a personal SEAL mother hen."_

_"__Love you, Danno."_

_"__Love you more, Monkey." _And with that Grace turned to the waiting flight attendant there to escort her to the plane. She was thirteen now, and able to fly alone to Las Vegas.

When had she grown into such a smart teenager? Danny sighed. His phone chirped as it received a text message, taking his attention away from the plane which was further away now. _"You okay? Stop staring after the plane and come back to HQ, We can pick up Malasada's to cheer you up." _Steve, how did he know that was what Danny was doing? Oh right, Super SEAL radar or something.

_"__Soon." _Danny texted back.

_"__You're still staying with me tonight, right? Beers on the lanai?" _The reply came back.

_"__Yes."_ Danny sent in return. He watched the plane disappear as it turned towards the runway. With another sigh, Danny started to make his way out of Honolulu International Airport.

"Detective Williams! Detective Williams?" Danny stopped and turned around as he heard his name called. A TSA officer was walking briskly towards him. The man was familiar, but Danny couldn't put a name to the face, which annoyed him immensely. Myers that was the man's name, Danny realised as the officer stopped in front of him. They'd worked together during the Smallpox incident a couple of years ago.

"What can I do for you Officer Myers?" Danny asked.

"We have an incident on one of the planes operated by Aloha Air Cargo." Myers led Danny away from the crowded terminal to a quiet corner. "I have one of my officers ready to board, but protocol dictates that I need an HPD presence as well."

"You do know I'm not HPD, right? I'm Five-0." Danny frowned, wondering just what kind of incident could require HPD assistance on a cargo plane.

"Yes, and I called HPD, but there's an accident on the Queen Liliuokalani Freeway right where it changes to the H-1. They had to stop to deal with that and the pilot says the situation on the cargo plane is urgent."

Danny sighed, again. He seemed to be doing a lot of that this afternoon. It was only shortly after 4 p.m. and he had a long evening ahead of him, waiting for Grace to call when she arrived in Las Vegas. So why not give TSA a hand, it was at least a distraction.

"Okay, I was just seeing my daughter off, so I'll have to go to my car and get my gun and badge first." Now the decision was made, Danny was eager to get going.

"No problem, brah. Are you parked in the official zone?" At Danny's nod, Officer Myers continued, "Good, then I'll pick you up there and drive you over to the plane."

With that the two men parted. Danny sent a quick text to his partner as he walked to his car. _"Short delay, see you soon." _Danny smiled as he put his phone in silent mode before pushing it back into his pocket. He thought of Steve's reaction to his text. The overbearing SEAL had been coddling him ever since he'd learnt that Grace was leaving. It would do him good to wonder what had delayed him, because he didn't need to know every aspect of his day. Lately the saying, 'I'm not my brothers keeper' didn't seem to apply to his arrogant partner.

Myers pulled up just as Danny closed the trunk of the Camaro, having retrieved his gun from the lock box. "So what's going on with the plane?" Danny asked as he settled into the passenger seat, shrugging into his vest first.

"We don't know, for sure." Myers answered, as he drove over to the area of the airport where cargo planes were parked. "The plane had a rough landing, and shortly after taxiing to a stop the pilot called in that there was trouble in the main cargo area."

"What kind of trouble?" Danny busily secured the fastening on his vest as Officer Myers continued to fill him in.

"He didn't know. His co-pilot went back to check out the cargo, because of their landing. A couple of minutes later there was a shout of pain and the man yelled, 'get away from me', then nothing." They pulled up to the plane as Myers finished speaking.

"Did the pilot go back to see what happened?" Danny asked as he exited the car.

"No, he thought there might be a stow-a-way and didn't want to give him access to the cockpit. So he locked the door and called in." The two men walked up to the waiting TSA officer stood beside a set of rolling stairs pushed up against the plane's door.

"How long ago did this happen?" Maybe he should call Steve or HPD for backup, Danny wondered to himself. There was a huge potential for trouble, but then again, if it was nothing Steve would never let him hear the end of it, and HPD had already been called.

"Almost thirty minutes ago, now." Myers turned to the waiting officer. "Phillips, this is Detective Williams, he will board the plane with you."

Danny shook hands with Officer Phillips. He was a fairly young, inexperienced officer from the looks of him. But if Myers thought he could handle this, then who was Danny to question that? "Okay, first we need to verify whether or not there is someone on board who shouldn't be." Danny looked up at the door of the plane. "You know how to open that?"

"Yeah, I can do that." Phillips started up the steps as he spoke.

As Danny and Myers followed, Myers phone rang. "I have to go." He said. "There's a problem at the terminal. Phillips, radio me when you know what's going on." With that Myers went down the few stairs he'd climbed, jumped into his car, and sped away.

By the time Danny reached the top of the stairs, Phillips had the door unlocked and ready to open. Both men drew their guns. "Open it just enough to allow us access and close it behind us, okay?" Danny ordered.

Phillips nodded as Danny brought up his left hand with three fingers raised. As he slowly lowered each finger in turn, Phillips readied himself to open the door.

As Danny's third finger came down Phillips pulled the door open enough for Danny to squeeze through, his gun leading the way. It was darker inside the plane and it took a few precious seconds for Danny's eyes to adjust. When they did, he saw only the co-pilot lying on the floor not far from a small plastic cage that had apparently fallen during the rough landing, and was now open. There was no-one else, and nowhere for anyone to hide. The cargo was all stacked and netted, with no space for a man, but there was a tear in the netting, obviously where the cage had managed to fall through.

Danny cautiously approached the downed co-pilot, holstering his gun as he went. Whatever had happened to the man Danny certainly didn't what it to happen to him, too. He glanced at the cage, lying besides the man, and read the label inserted in a plastic slide slot. DeathStalker (Leiurus quinquestriatus) "Well, that doesn't sound good. What the hell is a Deathstalker?" Danny muttered to himself.

Carefully Danny reached his hand out to check the pulse at the co-pilot's neck, and sighed in relief when he found a rapid, erratic beat beneath his fingers. "He's alive. Radio Myers, have an ambulance standing by, but no-one is to open that door until we find out what a Deathstalker is, and how many of them were in that cage."

"Right." Phillips said nervously as he got on the radio to Myers and relayed Danny's request and instructions.

"Now, there has to be a manifest somewhere on this plane." Danny stated. "You see if it's anywhere near you." But stay over there, and keep a lookout. "I'll look around over here."

"Be careful." Phillips cautioned. "That cage isn't very big, so whatever a Deathstalker is can't be very big either."

"Oh joy." Danny muttered as he looked around for something that could be a manifest. "I get to look in the area where all the neat hiding places for small things are."

It was eerily quiet in the plane for a few minutes as both men searched. Phillips suddenly called out loudly. "I found it!" The shout caused Danny to jump, knocking his right arm against a stack of uneven boxes behind the netting. He felt a sharp, burning pain, and then it felt like his whole arm was on fire. The shock caused him to fall over backwards away from the boxes.

**TBC**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: **Thanks for all the reviews they are really appreciated. Let's find out what a Deathstalker is, shall we, unless, of course, you Googled it.

**Chapter Two**

Steve read Danny's last text, and frowned. What on earth could cause him to be delayed at the airport? Danny was avoiding him, that's what this was, he was sure of it. Steve pressed speed dial for Danny's number, and frowned when it went directly to voice mail. "Okay, you deliberately turned your ringer off, didn't you? I can read you like a book, Danno. Call me, or get your butt back here, pronto." Steve hung up after leaving the message and left his office to walk up next to Chin, who was working on something at the Smart Table.

"Chin, can you check if Grace's flight left on time?" That's the only reason Steve could think of, off the top of his head anyway.

"Sure, Steve." Chin opened a new window on the table and brought up the Hawaiian Airline flights leaving Hawaii. "Looks like it left on time, is there a problem?"

"Not sure. Danny texted he was delayed at the airport. Then he turned off his ringer, probably because he knew it would annoy me. I think he's avoiding me." Steve pouted.

"Yeah, that wouldn't surprise me at all." Kono chimed in as she walked to where the two men stood. She'd caught the last part of their conversation and couldn't resist the remark.

"You have been just a little overbearing, since Danny announced that Grace was leaving for four weeks." Chin observed. "So, maybe you should give him a little space."

Kono, who had been checking the computer screen on the smart table, suddenly sucked in a breath. "Oh, wow, wait a minute." Kono expanded a small window on the table and typed something, then grimaced. "There's an alert posted at the airport, some problem with a charter flight. HPD was called, but they've been delayed." She looked up at Steve and Chin. "You don't think?"

"Yes, I do. Let's go." Steve was already on his way out of headquarters before Kono could even react. He just knew, for certain, that was where Danny would be.

"Where's Lou?" Chin asked as he and Kono hurried after Steve.

"He's over at HPD, should be back soon." Kono replied.

They exited the building and hurried over to where Steve was already getting into his Silverado. Chin climbed in the front, Kono in the back.

"Lou not back yet?" Steve asked as he sped out of the parking lot.

"No." Kono answered. "I'll call him and have him meet us at the airport." Her phone was already in her hand to make the call.

Even with his siren blaring, it took Steve longer than he would've liked to reach the airport. The accident at the end of the H1 slowed them down, but Steve just took to the shoulder of the road and eased by, then it was full speed once again.

Steve burst into the TSA office just as Officer Myers hung up from speaking with Officer Phillips on the cargo plane.

"What's going on? Where's Danny?" Steve demanded without any preamble.

Myers blinked in surprise, but then answered Steve's question, knowing that the Commander was the detective's partner. "Detective Williams is on an Aloha Air Cargo plane with one of my officers. I just finished speaking to Officer Phillips and he reported that there is no stow-a-way on board, as the pilot thought. But something has happened to the co-pilot and an ambulance is required. However, Detective Williams says that no-one is to enter the plane as something called a Deathstalker is loose, and it appears that's what injured the co-pilot." Myers picked up his phone as he continued speaking. "Let me arrange the ambulance then I'll take you over to where the plane is parked."

Steve looked like he was about to argue, until Chin put a calming hand on his arm and shook his head. So Steve released a sigh and started pacing while Myers made his call.

They were just exiting the building, heading for a TSA vehicle, when Myers phone rang. "Myers. What? How bad? Do you see whatever it was?" The man had stopped and now looked directly at Steve. "Okay, we're on our way, the rest of the Five-0 team is here. See what you can do. I'll call you back when we're outside."

"What?" Steve questioned as soon as Myers ended his call. "Did something happen?"

"Get in, I'll tell you on the way out there." Myers climbed into the driver's seat as Steve got in the passenger seat, Kono jumped in the back, but Chin turned and flagged down Lou Grover who had just arrived.

"Well?" Steve prompted as Myers pulled away from the terminal, followed closely by Lou's vehicle with Chin now sitting next to him in the passenger seat.

"Phillips was a little panicked, but it appears that something happened and Detective Williams is down. Phillips is too scared to get close to the cargo so he doesn't know exactly what happened." Myers pulled up near the cargo plane as he continued. "I'll call him back and see what going on now."

"I'm going in." Steve asserted as he exited the vehicle. This wasn't happening, his partner was in trouble and whether Danny liked it, or not, Steve was going in there to get him.

"No, Steve, wait," Kono caught hold of Steve's arm stopping him from running up the stairs to the planes door. "I know what a Deathstalker is." She continued as Steve turned to glare at her.

Kono held up her phone where a picture of an amber coloured scorpion filled the screen. "It's a scorpion, Steve, and it says here that the sting can be deadly to some people, or if it's not treated."

"Then I need to get Danny out of there." Steve shook of Kono's hand and again headed towards the stairs.

This time both Chin and Lou, who had heard Kono, got in Steve's way. "Steve, Danny said no-one is to open that door, and he's right, you can't risk letting such a thing get out." Chin spoke calmly. "We need to find another way in there."

"Chin, the TSA officer in there says that Danny is down. I have to go in." Steve tried to push pass his two teammates, without success. "He should have waited for back-up. He's always telling me to wait for back-up." Steve muttered as he stepped back, unable to move his teammates.

Myers had been talking on his phone during this exchange, now he approached Steve. "Phillips has the manifest for the cargo. Apparently there were two Deathstalker's in the cage. They are both loose on that plane somewhere. Also, Detective Williams is conscious, although he appears to be in a lot of pain."

"Yeah, it says here that the sting from this scorpion is very painful." Kono helpfully supplied.

"Listen, Steve." Lou spoke rationally when Steve again tried to get to the stairs. "I know you want to get to Danny, but think for a minute. Do you really want to listen to the rant that will ensue if you open that door, especially after Danny said no-one was to open it?"

"We can put a screen or something around the door, maybe that way we can contain these Deathstalkers." Myers offered. As he spoke an ambulance pulled up, lights flashing.

"Yes, you can try that, but it's too slow." Steve said as he looked first at the ambulance then up at the cockpit window where the pilot was looking back down at them. "I think I have a faster way of getting in there."

**TBA**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: **So who figured out how Steve would get on the plane? I did give you a hint, and really it was the only other way on board.

**Chapter Three**

Danny lay on the floor of the plane in agony. He had no idea what had hurt his arm, just knew that he didn't want to meet, whatever it was, again.

The short sleeved shirt he wore allowed Danny to see the bite on his forearm, but on looking at it, he realised it wasn't a bite. There was one round hole in his arm, the surrounding area now red, and slightly swollen.

Phillips was still over by the door talking on his phone, and Danny realised the man was too scared to come to his assistance. Definitely a rookie Danny thought. The poor man was in over his head, and maybe he was, too.

Slowly Danny managed to roll onto his left side and used his left arm to pull himself back towards the door and away from the cargo. There was no way he could get to his feet this close to the cargo without touching it, at least that's what he told himself. Truth was he didn't have the strength to push himself up, and he couldn't use the cargo for leverage, not with some creature lurking there. His right arm was useless. It hurt so much he couldn't bear to move his fingers at all. His heart was beating fast, he could feel it racing in his chest, and he wasn't sure if it was from the adrenalin spike, or caused by whatever had stung him.

Once Danny was halfway to the door, Phillips found the courage to come forward and pulled him the rest of the way, helping him sit against the bulkhead to the cockpit.

"I have Myers on the phone." Phillips said as he slid down next to Danny. "He says a Deathstalker is a scorpion. The manifest says there were two in that cage."

"Good to know." Danny intoned, not really caring at this point, he hurt too much.

"Also, the rest of your team is here." Phillips continued.

Danny raised his eyes and muttered. "Oh great, now Steve can go all Rambo on the plane trying to get to me. But he better not open that door or I'll kick his butt."

Phillips looked at Danny with a raised eyebrow.

"You have to know my partner to understand. Can you get my phone out of my pant pocket, I can't move my arm." Danny asked as he leaned slightly to his left to give Phillips access to his right rear pant pocket.

"Sure." Phillips retrieved Danny's phone and handed it too him. Using his left hand Danny took the phone off silent and then hit the speed dial for his partner.

"Don't yell. I'm in enough pain without you adding to it by giving me a headache." He listened for a few seconds. "So you actually listened and are not coming in through the door, right? Because, you know, I don't have the strength to kick your ass right now, but I will later, when I feel better."

"Ha, remind me to thank Chin and Lou when I see them. Be careful, please with whatever plan you are hatching to get on board this plane." Danny knew that not being able to open the main cabin door would not stop his partner for long.

I'll see you in a few minutes." Danny snorted as he hung up and put the phone on the floor beside him. His partner was such a comedian, like he's always careful. Ha.

"He's going to get us out of here, so relax for a few minutes. Oh, and keep an eye out for this." Danny held up his phone with the picture Kono had just sent him of a Deathstalker Scorpion.

Steve had been at the back of the ambulance getting a bag of medical supplies when his phone rang. On seeing that it was Danny, the first words out of his mouth were, "What the hell, Danny."

He listened then continued, "Sorry. Chin and Lou wouldn't let me board the plane anyway, because you said no-one was to open the door." Steve ran his free hand through his hair as he looked towards the plane's door wishing he had x-ray vision so he could see his partner.

"I'm getting in through the cockpit window, Danny. TSA are positioning a stairway there now." Steve picked up the medical bag and headed towards the plane, listening as he went. "Yes, I'll be careful. I'm always careful, Danny. See you soon." With a smile as Danny replied, Steve hung up.

"That was Danny. He didn't sound too bad." Steve told Chin and Kono. Lou was just returning from the terminal, Steve had no idea he'd left until he pulled up and exited the vehicle.

Lou approached Steve with a pair of leather gauntlets. "Here, you may need these. I don't think a stinger can get through, they're pretty thick."

"Thanks, Lou." Steve removed his vest before he started up the steps to the cockpit, Kono made to follow him. "No, Kono, I'm going alone. No-one else is to enter that plane. I'll get the pilot out, then Officer Phillips."

Chin put a hand on Kono's arm as she opened her mouth to argue with Steve. "He's right Kono. Danny wouldn't want anyone else in there if it means they're in danger."

Kono nodded and stepped back, obviously not happy, but willing to let Steve be the one to save his partner.

Steve smiled at her and then ran up the steps to where the pilot had the cockpit window already open. Once he'd helped the pilot out, Steve entered the cockpit through the window. As he disengaged the door lock he called out. "Is it safe to open this door?"

Phillips stood and went to the door to the cockpit. "Yes, the scorpions are in the cargo."

Steve opened the door, just enough to exit the cockpit. He immediately looked over to where Danny sat, trying to assess if he was really as okay as he'd sounded on the phone. Once he'd satisfied himself that Danny was indeed okay, for now, he turned to the TSA officer. "Phillips, right?"

"Yes, sir." The young officer replied.

"Okay, Phillips. Go into the cockpit and climb out the window. I can take it from here."

"Thank you," Phillips said as he rushed into the cockpit wanting to exit the plane as fast as he could.

Steve closed the door behind the spooked TSA officer. He lifted the medical bag and walked over to Danny crouching down beside him.

"I'm glad to see you, Steve." Danny smiled at his partner, but his eyes told Steve just how much pain Danny was in.

"You should have called me for backup, Danny." Steve was still annoyed that Danny had gone in with only a TSA officer for backup, and a pretty inexperienced one by the looks of it.

"Steve, you really want to do this right now?" Danny sighed "Because I have to tell you that I'm not feeling up to our usual repartee."

"Repartee? Did you study a dictionary again Danny?" While they talked, Steve opened the bag and pulled out a stethoscope. "I need to listen to you heart, and check your blood pressure."

"I can tell you my heart is racing, so you don't need to listen to it. What you should be doing is helping the co-pilot." Danny nodded towards where the co-pilot lay. "He had a pulse when I first checked him, before this happened." Danny indicated his right arm now resting on his lap.

"You first, Danny. I'll check the co-pilot once I've check you." Steve placed the stethoscope against Danny's chest.

But Danny pushed Steve's hand away. "No! You will go check the more seriously hurt man first, Steven. Isn't that what protocol dictates?"

"Damn protocol, Danny. You are my partner." Concern, worry, and fear all flashed in Steve's eyes as he looked at Danny.

Danny caught each emotion as it flashed by, and realised that Steve was scared of losing him. "I'm not going anywhere Steve." Danny spoke softly as he placed his left arm on Steve right forearm. "But, please, check the co-pilot and pull him over here, away from the cargo."

Their eyes held for a few seconds, and then Steve turned to do as Danny asked.

Steve cautiously approached the man looking for any sign of a scorpion. Seeing none, Steve reached forward to pull the co-pilot away from the cargo, but as he put his hands under the man's shoulders he spotted one of the scorpions hidden in the shadows under the left arm, and really close to where he'd placed his hand.

**TBC**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: **Here's the next chapter, enjoy.

**Chapter Four**

Steve pushed himself back in a frantic attempt to avoid being stung, forgetting for the moment that he'd put on the leather gauntlets Lou had given him.

"Steve!" Danny called, anxiously trying to see what had caused Steve to move back so fast. He was afraid his partner had also been stung.

"I'm okay Danny." Steve said as he got back up from the ignominious positioned he'd ended up sprawled in. "It hit the gauntlet, didn't penetrate." He looked over at Danny who was trying to get up. "Stay put, I'm fine."

Danny slumped back down. He'd not been able to get up anyway. Not only was his right arm painful around the sting site, but it was also going numb, his left arm and both legs starting to follow suit.

"Has it gone?" Danny asked. His breath hitched a little.

"No. But I think I can get it. Give me a minute." Steve moved around slightly to get a better view of the scorpion.

"Be careful, Steve." Danny breathed. "You don't need to be a hero. Oh wait, I forgot, that's your middle name isn't it?"

"I'm always careful, Danny." Steve replied as he suddenly lunged forward and put a gauntlet covered hand over the scorpion. Slowly he closed his hand around the creature and then stood. The container was on the other side of the co-pilot, so he stepped around and righted it, inserted the scorpion and closed the lid. "One down, one to go." He said with a smile as he looked at Danny. "And my middle name, as you well know, is John, not hero."

But Danny's eyes were closed. "Danny, you okay?" Fear ran through Steve system. He turned to the co-pilot and quickly pulled him over near to Danny. He then knelt by his partner and taking off the right gauntlet put his hand on Danny's shoulder. "Danny?"

Two hazy blue eyes blinked open and tried to focus on Steve. "I don't feel so good, Steve."

"I know, but I'll have you out of here soon." Steve removed Danny's vest then maneuvered him so he could lay flat. "Here, lie down. I'll just check the co-pilot then I'll be back. Okay?"

A slight nod from Danny set Steve in motion. He checked for a pulse on the co-pilot, and wasn't surprised when he didn't fine one. He'd had a feeling the man was dead.

Steve moved back and checked Danny's vitals. His blood pressure was very high, as was his heart rate, and his breathing sounded compromised. No. No. No. I'm not losing you, Steve thought.

"Danno, I'm going to put an oxygen mask on you, I don't like the sound of your breathing." Seconds later, Steve had pulled a portable oxygen cylinder from the medical bag and had the mask over Danny's mouth and nose. When there was no reaction from his partner, Steve pulled out his phone and called Chin.

"Chin. The co-pilots dead and Danny's getting worse. I've captured one of the scorpions and haven't seen the other one." He looked at the cargo as he spoke, realising that the scorpion could be anywhere in amongst the boxes. "I'm going to open the door. You and Lou need to be ready to take Danny, I'll keep watch in here, and then I'll follow you out."

"Wait, Steve." Chin said urgently. "Kono has been in touch with Aloha Air Cargo, there is a box of anti-venom that should have been somewhere close to the scorpion container. You need to find it. We've been in touch with the hospital and they don't have anything for a Deathstalker scorpion."

"Okay, give me a minute." Steve hung up and looked at the scorpion container. It wasn't hard to tell exactly where it had been sitting before it fell, because of the tear in the netting. So somewhere close to there would be a good guess of where to look for the anti-venom.

With the gauntlets back on Steve move closer to the pile of boxes and spotted the anti-venom fairly easily. Getting it required him to be closer to the boxes than he'd like, but Danny needed this and Steve would do anything for his partner.

Steve pulled his knife and advanced until he was almost at the boxes, then he banged his knife on the wall, hoping that would scare the other scorpion away. With a quick slice, he freed the box and retrieved it, heading back to Danny as fast as he could.

One more check that the floor was clear and Steve opened the plane's door. Chin and Lou were both right there and immediately picked up Danny and exited the plane. Steve was right behind them, closing the door as fast as he could, anti-venom box tucked under his arm.

Danny was already on a gurney and being pushed to the back of the ambulance by the time Steve made it to the bottom of the steps. He ran to the ambulance, managing a, "Thanks." aimed at Chin and Lou as he went, the anti-venom box now clutched to his chest.

The ambulance ride was nerve racking for Steve. Danny was not responding to anything, didn't even flinch when the medic started an IV. Then just before they reached the hospital, Danny started to convulse.

**TBC**

**A/N: **Oh no, did I do that again? Another cliff hanger, who knew that was coming?


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: **Hopefully I've got the scorpion stuff down okay. I did a lot of research, but I'm definitely not a medical professional.

**Chapter Five**

Steve was relegated to the ER waiting room, once they reached the hospital. Doctor Scott, who knew the team well, happened to be on duty. He took the anti-venom from Steve, but wouldn't allow him to follow Danny into a trauma room.

When Chin and Kono arrived they found Steve pacing, like a caged tiger, from one end of the room to the other. Most of the people there were looking at him nervously. He still had on his vest, weapon, and badge prominently displayed.

"Lou stayed behind to organize the capture of the second scorpion." Kono informed Steve when he looked up as they entered.

"Steve, sit." Chin spoke lightly as he approached Steve and led him over to a group of chairs. "Danny's strong, he'll be okay."

Steve sat, his elbows resting on his knees, his head bowed. When he spoke is was so quiet, Chin and Kono had to lean in to hear him. "He started to convulse in the ambulance. I'm not sure he was even breathing when we got here." Two grey, pleading, eyes looked up at Chin. "He should have called me. He should never have gone in there without back-up. I can't do this without him Chin." Steve dropped his head into his hands and Chin suspected he was fighting tears.

Chin knew that the big bad Super SEAL, as Danny liked to call him, would hate to be seen breaking down, especially in a public waiting room. But Chin also knew that Steve cared a great deal for his partner, even loved him like a brother, and if the worst did happen, then he knew that Steve would break down, no matter where he was.

They sat in silence for the next few minutes. It was Kono that finally could sit still no longer. She pushed to her feet and started pacing, much like Steve had been doing earlier.

Thankfully Doctor Scott came out, shortly after Kono's pacing began, and stood looking for the Five-0 team.

Steve and Chin rose and approached the doctor as Kono also came to a stop next to them. "How's Danny?" Steve asked before Doctor Scott could say anything.

"He's alive, and I'll do my damnedest to keep him that way. The anti-venom you brought in seems to be working." Here, sit. The doctor indicated a group of empty chairs close by. "When he arrived Detective Williams was convulsing and had actually stopped breathing. We gave him the anti-venom immediately and he soon started breathing on his own again."

"Thank God." Steve sighed. Chin and Kono both released the breath they'd been holding since the doctor started talking.

"He's far from out of the woods yet, though. This particular scorpion's venom is a neurotoxin that can be lethal under certain circumstances, but usually to the young, elderly, or someone who already has a medical problem. Detective Williams doesn't fit into any of these categories, but it appears he received an extremely large amount of venom, which is why he's so ill. We will probably have to give him more anti-venom soon as the toxin will take a few hours to metabolize out of his body. Once that happens I don't expect him to remain in a coma for too much longer."

"What?" Steve exclaimed. "He's in a coma?"

"Sorry." Doctor Scott exclaimed. "Yes, he slipped into a coma after the convulsion. It can happen with Deathstalker scorpion stings. Actually, I'd like you to come in and talk to him, once he's settled. I think that will help him find his way out of the coma quicker. I, for one, believe that comatose patients can hear people talking to them. But you have to be prepared, because he could get worse, before he gets any better."

"Yes." Steve stood ready to go with the doctor right then.

"Give us a few more minutes. I'll have a nurse come and get you." Steve nodded as the doctor got up to leave. "He's strong, and he can recover from this." Doctor Scott said as he turned to go back through the ER doors.

Only one of them was allowed to stay with Danny, so once Chin and Kono had visited, Steve took up residence next to his partners' bed.

Doctor Scott was right, things did get worse. An hour into his bedside vigil Steve realised that Danny was having difficulty breathing again. A sudden rush of doctors and nurses into the room had Steve backed up against a wall trying to stay out of the way. It scared him, seeing his partner like this.

Danny was given another injection of anti-venom and gradually his breathing returned to normal. Doctor Scott put a hand on Steve's arm as he was leaving. "That was scary, I know. But in another few hours the venom will have left his system, as long as we have enough anti-venom, and we do, he'll beat this. Go, be with him."

Steve slowly returned to Danny's bedside. The chair he had been using was gone, moved from the room during the crisis. But Steve simply settled himself on Danny's bed, next to his left hip, and took Danny's limp left hand between his own slightly trembling hands.

"Danno, you have to come back from this. You're my anchor, Danny. I need you so much. I'll do anything if you'll just stay, please." Steve felt a tear fall on his forearm. He hadn't realised he was crying until that moment, and had been crying the whole time Danny was in crisis. "Danny, you have to live, not just for me, but for Grace. What will she do without her Danno? Don't make me call her, not with news like that. How do I tell her that I wasn't there to protect you? She once told me that she knows you will always be safe because I protect you. Today I wasn't there to do my job, and look what happened."

Steve removed one of his hands from Danny's, but only for long enough to brush away another tear. "There are a lot of people out there in the waiting room, all just waiting for you to wake up. They all care about you, Danny. Chin, Kono, Lou, although right now he's off capturing the other scorpion. HPD officers, even some TSA officers have come to find out how you're doing. Don't keep them waiting too long. Don't keep me waiting, I love you brother."

Silence fell for a few minutes until Chin entered the room bringing two chairs with him. "Doc came out and said you might need someone. I can stay for a while if you need to talk, or maybe take a break?"

Steve moved to the chair Chin and place next to Danny's bed, but he didn't release the hand he was still holding. He raised his eyes to Chin, who had pulled his chair up next to him.

Chin sucked in a breath when he saw the tears of despair in Steve's eyes.

"I don't know what I'll do if I lose him, Chin." Steve whispered.

"You are not going to lose him, Steve." Chin reassured.

"You don't know that, Chin. I nearly lost him not ten minutes ago." Steve brushed another tear away.

"Talk to me Steve. Tell me what you're thinking, why Danny is so special too you." Encouraging Steve to talk was the best way Chin could think off to get them both through this.

After a few moments of silence Steve quietly started to talk. "From that first moment I saw him, in my father's garage, I knew he was special, Chin. We may have had a rocky start, but I knew we were meant to be partners. He completes me, and I know we drive each other crazy sometimes, but I don't think I can do this job anymore without Danny by my side." Steve put his head down and rested his forehead against his hands that still encased Danny's.

Chin sighed and put a hand on Steve's shoulder to try and comfort him. Danny had to survive this, because if he didn't Chin was convinced they'd lose Steve as well.

**TBC**

**A/N: **This doesn't count as a cliffie, does it?


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: **Well this is it, the final chapter. Thank you all so much for reading, and a especially thank you to everyone who took the time to review. The biggest thanks goes to rewob17 for her great beta work.

**Chapter Six**

A few hours later they were still waiting for Danny to wake. It was a little after 8 p.m. now, and Steve found it hard to believe that it was only a few hours ago that Grace had left. Now he wondered if he should call Rachel or not. He knew that Grace would not be there yet, and he didn't want to worry her needlessly so he held off calling. When Danny woke, and he had to wake, then he could decide if it was necessary to make the call.

Danny had been given another shot of anti-venom not that long ago, and they all hoped it would help him to wake up. All of Five-0 had been allowed to stay with Danny now, and they'd all been talking to him about various things. But it was Lou's arrival with supper that actually brought forth the first reaction from the comatose detective.

Lou had swung by Kamekona's shrimp truck and the smell of garlic shrimp had Danny's head turning in that direction, even though his eyes were still closed.

Steve, who had been watching his partner closely for hours, saw the moment Danny's eyes fluttered open. "Hey, welcome back." He said getting in Danny's personal space.

"Hey." Danny managed to croak out. Steve immediately spooned a couple of ice chips, which Danny gratefully accepted. "How long have I been out?"

"Too long." Steve said abruptly as he sat back down as Kono moved closer to Danny on the other side of the bed.

She ran her fingers through his hair and kissed him on the forehead. "Don't every do that to us again, brah." She admonished.

Chin walked up behind Steve and put a hand on his shoulder. "It's been a little over three hours, Danny. We've all been very worried about you. I'd even go so far as to say, you scared us."

"Sorry." Danny said then accepted more ice chips from his now silent partner.

"I'd like to know why there were scorpions on that plane." Kono queried to the room in general.

"Well I can answer that for you." Lou stated. "Apparently the scorpions were being shipped to a research facility here in Honolulu. They were to be used for research. One component of their venom has shown potential for treating human brain tumors. There is also some evidence to show that other components may aid in the regulation of insulin so it could be used to treat diabetes. No, I'm not that smart." He intoned as everyone, including Danny, raised their eyebrows. "I got that from one of the researchers who showed up to help find the second scorpion."

"Where was it hiding?" Kono asked.

"Actually, it was dead." Lou told them. "Officer Phillips told me that Danny's arm hit a cargo box. That was where the scorpion was hiding. Usually scorpions regulate the amount of venom they release. But this time, because you killed it when you hit it Danny, it released almost all its venom into your arm. That's the researchers knowledge again, not mine. He thinks, if you hadn't fallen, and all the venom had made it into your arm, you'd have died within minutes."

"Huh." Was all Danny could think of in response. "What about the co-pilot then, why did he die so quickly?"

"I spoke to Max." Lou continued. "His autopsy showed the man had a heart defect. That was why the venom killed him."

Steve remained silent, taking in what Lou was saying, but not commenting on any of it.

Chin figured an explosion of some kind was imminent, he knew Steve was seething with anger, and hoped he could mitigate it to some extent. "How about we all go eat our lunch in the waiting room and let Danny rest? We should also let Doctor Scott know he's awake, and I'm sure the people waiting out there would like to know that too."

Everyone left, except Steve and Chin. However, when Doctor Scott walked in Chin also left, but Steve refused to go with him.

The doctor quickly examined Danny and pronounced that he was now over the worst and would make a full recovery. But, he would still have tingling and numbness in his extremities for a couple of more days, and he may experience headaches. Once Doctor Scott was done he stood looking at Steve for a few seconds. "He needs to rest, Commander. I think that maybe you should go for a walk and sort your head out before the two of you talk." He waited expectantly. When Steve neither acknowledged what he'd said, nor spoke, the doctor sighed and left the room.

Danny looked closely at his partner. He knew that Steve had been upset with him on the plane, and he could see, just by his posture, that he was still angry. When Steve finally raised his eyes to actually look at him Danny's breath caught in his throat. There was a storm brewing in those eyes, and Danny knew he probably deserved whatever Steve had to say.

But Steve stayed silent, which Danny knew was not good, so he decided to poke at him to release the explosive pressure building. "I know you're mad, Steve. You have every right to be mad. It was a dumb move, going in there with only a young TSA officer, but …" That was as far a he got before the awaited explosion happened.

"Mad! I'm not mad! I'm livid." Danny sucked in a breath and waited for the rest. "You tell me never to go in without backup, and what do you do? You do exactly that. There could have been anything happening on that plane. You could have been shot as you entered. You could have been taken hostage by god knows who. Actually, you were, in a way."

Steve ran a hand through his hair. Danny just waited, knowing that it would be best to let Steve get it all out now that he'd started.

"Do you know how close we came to losing you? How close I came to losing you? They had to give you three shots of anti-venom is just three hours, and each time you could have died. If that anti-venom hadn't been on the plane, what then? What would I do without you Danny?" Steve stopped and dropped his head into his hands that were resting on the bed.

"Steve?" Danny took hold of Steve's right hand with his left. "Look at me Steven."

When Steve finally raised his head, tear filled eyes looked into his partners bright blue ones. "I'm here Steve, and I have no intention of going anywhere." Danny squeezed Steve's hand. "I promise I will never go into a situation like that without back up, again. I'm sorry that I made you worry about me. That you were so scared of losing me, because I never want to hurt you like that again."

They held eye contact for a while as Steve digested what Danny had just said. Danny broke eye contact first when he was overcome by a huge yawn.

"Okay, apology accepted. But I am never letting you out of my sight again, Danno." A sly smile crept onto Steve's face. "In fact, you will be staying with me for at least a week, maybe longer."

"What?" Danny questioned. But inside he'd known this would be coming.

"I promised Grace I would take care of you and that's exactly what I'm going to do." Steve squeezed Danny's hand. "Besides, if I tell her about your little escapade this morning you will be in so much trouble."

"You wouldn't." Danny yawned again.

"Yes I would. So you'd better behave from now on." Steve smiled as Danny simply nodded and settled down to sleep.

"Thanks, brother." Danny said, almost asleep now. "I love you too, by the way."

Steve looked at Danny, startled. His eyes were closed, and his breathing evening out as sleep overtook him. Had Danny heard him? They say that people in a coma can hear, but had Danny heard. It would explain so much, like why he hadn't argued with him. Because he knew how much he'd scared Steve, heard Steve unload all his feelings.

"Well, I'll be damned." Steve muttered to himself. "I love you too, Danno." He said as he pulled the blanket up around his brother. Pushed a few stray hairs out of Danny's face then sat down to wait for Danny to wake again. A few minutes later and Steve was asleep, exhausted from the emotion turmoil of the morning.

Chin stuck his head in the door, saw the two partners asleep, and smiled. He'd been outside listening, not sure if it was wise to leave the two volatile men alone to sort things out. But, as it turned out, they'd managed fine and things could now get back to normal. That is as normal as things every where within Five-0.

With a last look, Chin turned and left, going back to the waiting room to let the rest of the team know that everything was good again in their world.

**The End**


End file.
